Page 66 of A Shot at Love
She froze, her eyes shut as she listened to the sound of Frankie walking across the small room. It was reminiscent of the night when Frankie had found her crying in the gym, the way Frankie had spoken so honestly, so earnestly that it made Jules want to stay, to hear what she had to say. She had that way about her, a calm strength that was so easy to lean into.
Jules felt her before she heard her and then she was breathing in Frankie’s comforting scent. It had quickly become her favourite smell and her breath caught in her throat as a strong arm slid around her waist, holding her from behind.
Frankie nuzzled her nose against the spot where Jules’ shoulder met her neck and pressed a featherlight kiss to her skin.
“I’m sorry.”
“Frankie…”
“No, I’m an asshole, and you deserve better.” Their height difference made it easy for Jules to lean back against Frankie’s taller frame and Frankie hugged her tighter as she trailed her lips up to the spot beneath Jules’ ear. “It’s an amazing opportunity for you and I want you to go for it. You’re perfect for it and we’ll figure out the rest later.”
Her emotions betrayed her and her vision blurred. She turned around in Frankie’s arms and looked up into green eyes that looked back at her with a fondness and affection she’d only seen with Frankie. In that look, Jules knew things would be okay. They might not be easy, but they would be okay.
“You’re not a secret. I would shout from the rooftops how lucky I am to be with you right now if I could and I’mgoingto tell my brother.” Jules nodded and swallowed hard, blinking away the threat of tears. “I promise. ”
“I know, and I’m sorry for doubting that.” Frankie dipped her head and brushed their noses together. She brought her hand up and softly stroked her thumb over Jules’ cheekbone then tucked some hair behind her ear and smiled. “Because you’re so much more than a secret to me, Jules. I hope you know that."
Now what were they going to do?
Chapter 29
Sydney – 4:17PM
The plane just landed!
I’ll meet you outside the terminal after I grab my bag!
Frankie tapped her fingers against her steering wheel and hummed along to one of the songs on the playlist Jules made for her. It had become the only thing she listened to whenever she drove and to her surprise, new songs she didn’t know were always popping up which meant Jules had been continuously adding to it.
Her car idled at the edge of the airport pickup area and she glanced at the clock, hoping Sydney would pop her head out of the door any moment before airport security rushed her along for taking up space.
She wasn’t typically the ‘I’ll give you a ride to and from the airport’ kind of person, but she was willing to make an exception. When Sydneysaid she had a break in her season while her European teammates went off to international camps and wanted to spend her time in Halifax, Frankie was thrilled.
So now she was here, waiting to pick up her best friend after close to eight months without seeing each other. So much had happened in that amount of time and a person could only convey so much over FaceTime and text. But Sydney knew the basics. She knew who Jules was, knew how Frankie felt about her, but she didn’t know that things had progressed…a lot.
And when it came to work, well, Frankie had been apprehensive about sharing the extent of criticism she’d been facing. Sharing it with Jules was hard enough but Jules was there to watch it happen. Admitting it to Sydney would mean truly admitting to herself that affected her as much as it did.
The way her own players spoke about her made Frankie feel a weakness she didnt want to acknowledge. She couldn’t be weak, not in the world she was in, not when her job was what it was. Showing weakness, even hinting at it, gave people even more of a reason to dig their claws into her and the work she cared so much about.
A knock on her passenger side window startled her and Sydney waved. Frankie smiled and hopped out of the car. Sydney dramatically flung herself into Frankie’s arms and she stumbled back with an oomph, hugging her best friend in return.
“Oh dear friend,” Sydney wailed. “It has been far too long since we last met like this.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Frankie said with a laugh, patting Sydney on the back. “I missed you too, buddy.”
The drive back to town from the airport was quick and within thirty five minutes, Frankie was tapping her key fob on the pad outside her door and leading Sydney inside.
“Wooooow. Nice digs, Frank.”
“Please don’t call me Frank.”
Sydney spun around and put her hands on her hips. Her brown hair spilled from the low bun at the base of her head and her toque sat crooked. She looked like the quintessential queer female hockey player, right down to the pair ofNike dunks on her feet which wasn’t exactly the appropriate choice of footwear for winter in Sweden or Halifax.
“I’ve been calling you Frank for years.”
“And I’ve been asking younotto call me Frank for years.”
Sydney waved her off and tugged the hat off her head. She walked to the large windows and then crossed her arms and admired the view, which to Frankie was the best feature of the whole condo. She’d never had a waterfront view before and it wasn’t lost on her how lucky she was to enjoy one now.
